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The Encyclical Dissected by Morag Fraser, William Uren (P6), William Daniel (P8), 36 Andrew Hamilton (P9), Ray Cassin (Plo), ALTERNATIVE WORLDS and John Ryan (Pl2)

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The Encyclical Dissected by Morag Fraser, William Uren (P6), William Daniel (P8), 36 Andrew Hamilton (P9), Ray Cassin (Plo), ALTERNATIVE WORLDS and John Ryan (Pl2) to war Michael McKernan Maslyn Williams Morag Fraser Peter Steele Volume 3 Number 9 EURI:-KA srm:-s November 1993 A magazine of public affairs, the arts and theology CoNTENTS 4 28 COMMENT PASSAGES OF ARMS Chris McGillion on the church and politi­ Peter Steele ponders war and the way in calleadership. which writers have rendered it. 5 35 VERIT ATIS SPLENDOR QUIXOTE The encyclical dissected by Morag Fraser, William Uren (p6), William Daniel (p8), 36 Andrew Hamilton (p9), Ray Cassin (plO), ALTERNATIVE WORLDS and John Ryan (pl2). Max Teichmann examines promises and reality in international politics. 13 CAPITAL LETTER 39 IN MEMORIAM 14 Andrew Bullen recalls the life and poetry of LETTERS Francis Webb. 16 44 A DOG'S BREAKFAST BOOKS AND ARTS Mark Skulley unravels the politics of Ross McMullin reviews Michael Cathcart's pay TV. abridgement of Manning Clark's A History of Australia; Margaret Simons visits writ­ 19 ers' week at Brisbane's Warana Festival ARCHIMEDES (p45), and the Asia-Pacific Triennial at the Queensland Art Gallery (pSO); Geoffrey 20 Milne surveys theatre in the Melbourne REPORTS International Festival (p46); Damien Col­ Dave Lane on newsagents in Canberra; eridge considers myths, marketing and the Frank Brennan on the Mabo outcome (p21 ); forthcoming Van Gogh exhibition at the Jon Greenaway on moves for a constitution­ National Gallery of Victoria (p48). al convention (p25). 51 22 FLASH IN THE PAN WHAT AUSTRALIANS REMEMBER Reviews of the films In the Line of Fire, The Cover: Australian soldier Michael McKernan reflects on the' Austral­ Nostradamus Kid, Blackfellas, So I Married on the western front. ians on the Western Front' commemora­ An Axe Murderer, BeDevil, Homelands, Photo: Courtesy of the Australian War MemorialiAWM negative £227). tive mission. Much Ado About Nothing, Macbeth and Othello. Photos pp2 and 28-31 24 by Reimund Zunde; Photo p 16 by Bill Thomas; POEM 54 Graphics pp20 and 48 by Siobhan jackson; To An Unknown Japanese Soldier, by VOICEBOX Graphic p44 by Tim Metherall; Maslyn Williams. Cartoon p25 by Peter Gale. 55 26 SPECIFIC LEVITY Eureka Street magazine FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE Part II jesuit Publications Morag Fraser talks to Croatian philosopher PO Box 553 Richmond VIC 3121 Menad Miscevic about unpublicised con­ Tell03)427 7311 sequences of the Balkans war; in Cambo­ Fax (03)428 4450 dia, Mark Deasey visits Angkor (p41). EUAI:-KA srm:-t:r COMMENT A magazine of public affairs, the acts and theology CHRIS McGtLLION Publisher Michael Kelly SJ Editor Morag Fraser Production editor Ra y Cassin Goodbye Fr Chips Design consultant fohn van Loon Production assistants woe< mR R lR<ge m etmpolitRn dRily n ew,pRpe<, Rnd fohn Doyle SJ, Paul Fyfe SJ, Juliette Hughes, I frequently get complaints- and on rare occasions compli­ Siobhan Ja ckson, Chris Jenkins SJ. ments-from church officials whose signature line is: 'Look, Contributing editors all we are asking for is a fair go'. What they mean by a fair go is: Adelaide: Frances Browne IBVM no sensationalist reporting, an honest attempt to present their Brisbane: Ian Howells SJ church's argument before taking it to task, and a degree of dis­ Darwin: Margaret Palmer Perth: Dean Moore cemment when selecting people involved with any particular Sydney: Edmund Campion, Andrew Riemer, church to comment on its activities. Getting the message across Gerard Windsor. is what is important to them; what happens to it after that is European correspondent: Damien Simonis somebody else's business. The churches see their role as one of US correspondent: Thomas H. Stahcl Sf moral teaching, not of political leadership. But this distinction is sell-defeating. Editorial board Consider what the Catholic bishops have to say in the Peter L'Estrange Sf (chair), Marga ret Coady, Margaret Coffey, final report of their inquiry into the distribution of wealth in Madeline Duckett RSM, Tom Duggan, Australia, Common Wealth for the Common Good. The bish­ Trevor Hales, Christine Martin, ops defend their right- indeed, their duty- to comment on Kevin McDonald, Joan Nowotny IBVM, social policy. Essentially, they reason that social institutions Lyn Nossal, Ruth Pendavingh, and practices affect people in ways that are not reducible to the John Pill FSC, sum of the values and actions of the individuals involved; con­ Peter Steele Sf, Bill Uren SJ sequently, for the church to concentrate only on matters of Business manager: Mary Foster personal faith and morality is to ignore some of the most im­ Advertising representative: Tim Stoney portant factors affecting human dignity, the quality of human Editorial assistant: fon Greenaway relationships, and, dare one say, the prospects for personal sal­ Patrons va tion. But, having found much about contemporary Australia Eurel<a Street gratefully acknowledges the to criticise from the perspective of distributive justice, the bish­ support of C.L. Adami; the trustees of the estate ops fail to take their argument to its logical conclusion. They of Mi ss M. Condon; A.f. Costello; D.M. Cullity; come down to urging a 'conversion of heart' on the part of indi­ F.G. Gargan; R.J. and H.M. Gehrig; viduals, in the hope that this alone will remove the structural W.P. Gurry; J.F. O'Brien; injustices in our society. A.F. Molyneux; V.J. Peters; This shows a certain naivete, but much more than that. It Anon.; the Roche family; Anon .; shows an unwillingness to accept that social transformation Sir Donald and Lady Trescowthick; requires not only moral teaching but practical involvement in Mr and Mrs Lloyd Williams. the political sphere. That does not mean that bishops should become politicians or engage in party political brawls. But it Euieka Street magazine, ISSN 1036- 1758, does mean that the churches should offer political leadership. Australia Post registered publication VAR 9 1- 0756, The Southern Christian Leadership Council, which was is published eleven times a year formed by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jnr and other church by Eureka Street Magazine Pty Ltd, 300 Victoria Street, Richmond, Victoria 3 12 1. leaders in the United States in 1957, took a different approach Responsibility for editorial content is accepted by to political involvement. The emphasis was on empowem1ent. Michael Kell y, 300 Vi ctoria Street, Ri chmond. The council set as its task a voter-registration drive among Printed by Doran Printing, blacks in the southern states of the US. Blacks were not to be 4 Commercial Road, Highett VI C 3 190. encouraged to vote for this party or that, but simply to register © Jesuit Publications 1993 to vote so that their participation in the political process would The editor welcomes letters and unsoli cited manu­ force a response from the major political parties, and so ad­ scripts, including poetry and fiction. Manuscripts will vance black social, economic and legal interests. be returned only if accompanied by a stamped, self­ At a recent 'Church and Social Justice' conference at the addressed envelope. Requests for permission to reprint University of New England, in Annidale, NSW, delegates raised material from the magazi ne should be addressed in suggestions about how the churches could most effectively get writing tO: The editor, Eurel<a Street magazine, their message about justice across. Most of the suggestions came PO Box 553, Richmond VIC 3 12 1. down to things like: reducing the denominational duplication 4 EUREKA STREET • N OVEMilER 1993 of resources in the field of social policy research, the political leadership at its best. Some people will view better to concentrate efforts and expertise; lending more this kind of activity as a dangerous liaison between assistance to existing non-denominational welfare/ jus­ church and state, but does the separation of church and tice advocacy groups rather than risking the churches' state mean that morality should become the monopoly credibility through direct involvement; and developing of the former, and political activity of the latter? a better understanding of, and skills to deal with, the The Greek philosopher, Aristotle, put the case for realities of a mass media-oriented society. the essential indivisibility of morality and politics in These ideas all have merit, but they tend to miss the fourth century BC. 'A state', he argued, 'is some­ the point. It is not enough to stand outside the public­ thing more than a pact of mutual protection or an agree­ policy arena, urging the players on with the latest mod­ ment to exchange goods and services.' As if taking a el megaphone. Nor is it enough to venture into the arena wooden stake to the heart of the economic rationali ts purely for the purpose of more effectively doing the same. of his day, he went on to argue that the mere possession That won't change the nature or the outcome of the of contractual obligations did not make someone a cit­ game; it just adds to the background noise. In a reflec­ izen, for 'a state exists not simply for the purpose of tive report to the board of the Southern Christian Lead­ living together but for the sake of noble actions'. ership Council in 1959, the organisation's associate According to Aristotle, an association of people that fails director, Ella Baker, posed the que tion: 'Have we been to promote justice may be many things, but it is not a so busy doing the things that had to be done that we state. A citizen, properly understood, is someone who have failed to (do) what should be done?' Baker suggest­ engages in politics to promote virtue and goodness. ed, and the council eventually came to endorse, three It might be added that a church that does not take aims for the organisation: co-ordinating action by local social justice seriously enough to fight for it may be groups, developing potential black leaders, and, most many things but it is not fa ithful to the gospel of Jesus important of all, 'developing a vital movement of non­ Christ.
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